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  State of the Union Address  PBS  January 30, 2018 6:00pm-7:34pm PST

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captioning sponsored by newshour productions, llc > p> woodruff: welcome to o newshour special live coverage of president trump's first stat of the undress. i'm judy woodruff. mr. trump is said to want to strike some bipartisan notes before a ngress and nation deeply divided. pr will refer to building a safe, strong and america, touting his economic record. the future of an immigration deal and the fate of so-called dreamers face a looming deadline.
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some members of congress have invited undocumented immigrants to be the guests for the peech. our lisa desjardins is there at the capitol, and yache alcindor is at the white house. here with me at our studio tabl tonight, syndicated columnist s and "new yor times" columnist david brooks; tk he clitical report's amy walter; along with the chair of the american conservative union, mt sclapp, and karine-jean-pierre, a senior aerdvo moveon.org. welcome to all of you as we keep one eye or both eyes, i should s oay, what's goingin the capitol in the house chamber where the president is about to come in. mark shields i the president's first state of the union, he's been in office for a year, what are we looking for tonight? >> we're looking for the president to be presidential which he said nobody could be presidential like him. it's a ceremony of state. t this is somethit donald trump is totally unfamiliar with never having been in congress,
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never been a person in washington. it will be interesting to see how he fits into this, what americans have come to expect about a major ceremony i national life. >> woodruff: david, what are you looking for. 37one queer o year of trump whs human years, he's done this recently well, hs bring up town trump and gets put away. i expect he will be reasonably p i will be looking for actual policies. he does have a policy process in the white house ando we w there's immigration but that's not going to fill a year. so how is he going to fill the rest of the year. this is a lun drea list of policies and it will be interesting if he has una dry list what's on immigration and some vague chair on infrastruf:ure. >> woodri don't know if it's up down or down top donald trump we're going to see down but from america'serspective thinking about what the voters are thinking right now. what do you think they're looking f tonight?
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>> well the president can come in with a laundry list of things that they've got a good economy behind him, a lot of the things he talks about. in his first wasn't a state of the union but addressed the congress. he's been able to accomplish whether it's on immigration crossing the border, the lowest number of border crossing arrests we've had in years, regulations being cut. yet he also comes in as the mosl unp president at this point in a first term. and he making that connection between how he can be successful on the one hand and still be seen so negatively by a majority oamericans is really all about him. it's the personnity it's not the ps olicies thativing perceptions of him and it's likely to drive the 2018 election as well. >> woodruff: matt schlapp, does it president kerry a -- cay a speal burden wit him more than any president. >> i don't think so. s goink if the president
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to govern like most politicians try to use language at these big events where to kind of search their image, looking for that softly assuring lane age. hst doesn't do that. i think david's right. he's going to sound esidential, it will be a presidential speech. he is who he is. he's governiwang the he's comfortable with governing. he believes at the end of the day it's the result that will indicate whether orot he's a successful politician. is he economy growing, did we defeat isis, do people feel greater security. that's kind of where he's putting his trust in the american pele. they'll like the results. >> woodruff: joh john jean-pt do you think about that. >> i have to tell you i hate the were presidential right now because i don't think it matters this to me doesn't matter at all because he's probably going to stay a the teleprompter but we
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know who trumpis rea once he's off the tel tell parliament it's the kind of presidential trump will stay for an hour or day but we don't like who he is. >> woodruff: there they are announcing him now. [cheers and applause] this is the way it been done president after president. >> since harry truman, 1947. it was on television the first time. >> woodruff: david, he man his way dow the aisle. again we've seen this team so many times before. it's usually the members of the president's own party who is the closest. it'snynteresting to see if a democrats are going to beng reachiut. >> if i was a good reporter i would have been there at 5. :00 p.mhen they were around the aisle seats to get a shot.
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there was a lot of bonus foe pull so -- people so probably a lot less. >> i just wanted tois dagree with david earlier in the evening and that is it makes a difference what the president proposes. the only time it makes a difference what the president proposed was 1965 when lyndon johnson proposed medicare, edicaid, voting rights and really changed and aid education. he had 290 democrats in the house and 68 in the senate. donald trump doesn't have a governing legislative majority nor coalitioat this point. so he could propose -- >> keep playing it back to say why is he. because you're right. >> it matters tremendously within the administration. the state of the union is the marching orders within the people within the organization. igrt's a eat document.
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>> it's a great document to get listed in. >> woodruff: while we discuss what he is or isn't going to get done, the presi is making his way down the center aisle in the house of representintives. the house ofe're c a glimpse nod then of the first lady melania trumpp in the balco area with a number of guests who are guests of the president and the first lady tonight. we're riing to be hea about them in a minute but right now p thesident is shaking hands. we see house majority leader kevin nccarthy and we're able to see the pentagon, officials of the pentagon and members of the predent's cabinet. h>>ks he lo be moving districtly. >districtly -- briskly. >> woodruff: here we go.is let'sn to this just a second. shaking hands with the vice
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president and house speak paul ryan. and he is getting right to it. it's just a coup minutes to get to the lectern and he's aut to speak. the president of the united states. this is where he gives each of them a copy of the speech. different people tonight wearing different colors, symbolic ofif rent issues and making different points. >> the boycotts too. the democrats boycotted. i think there are 13 democrats we know of who said they are not going tonight. i think eight of them from the congressional black caucus but there are a few a hand full of others as well. but right now the applause is
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typical for most presidents. most members of congress, most state addresses accord the president the respect. >> yes. >> that the office deserves. >> yes. and the
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already sweeping acrossur land. each day since we have gone forward with a clear vision and a righteous mission to make america great again for all americans. [cheering and applause] over the last year we have made incredible progress and achieved extraordinary success. we have faced challenges we expected and others we could never have imagined. we have shared in the heights of victory and the pains of hardship. we have enduredds fl and fires and storms, but through it all we have seen the beauty of
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anamerica's sou the steel in america's spine. each test has forged new american heroes to remind us who we are and showe us what w can be. we saw the volunteerf o the eajun navy racing to the res with their fishing boats to save people in the aftermath of a totally devastating hurricane. we saw strangers shielding strangers from a hail of gunfire on the las vegas strip. we heard tales of a lricanse coast guard petty officer ashley lepard who is here tonight in he gallery with melania.[ applause] ( applause )
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( applause ) shley was aboard one of the first helicopters on the scene in houston during hurricane ey. through 18 hours of wind and rain, ashley braved lie power lines and deep water to help save more than 40 lives. ashley, we all thank you. thank you very much. ( applause ) ( applause ) we heard about americans like firefighter david d he's here with us also. david faced down walls of flame
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to rescue almost 60 children trapped at a california summer camp threatened by those tef stating -- devastatinwg ildfires. to everyone still recovering in texas, florida, louisiana, puerto rico and the virgin islands, everywhere, were with you, we love you, and we always will pull t throughether. always. [applause] ( applause ) ( applau ) thank you to david and the brave people of california. thank you very much, david. great job.
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some trials of the chamber touched us personally. erth us tonight is one of the toughest o serve this house, a guy who took a bullet, almost died, and was back the wk three and a half months later, the legend from louisiana, congressman steve scalise. [cheering and applause] ( cheers and applause ) ( applause ) ( applause ) i think they like y. steve. [laughter]
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we're incredibly grateful for the efforts of the capitol police officer, and the doctors, nurses, andam pics who saved his life and the the lives of my otherssome in this room, in the aftermath -- (applause) es. yes. in the aftermath of that terrible shooting, we came together not as republicans or democrats, but as representatives of the people. but it is not enough to come together only in times of tragedy. tonight i call upon all of us to set aside our differences, to seek out common ground, and to summon the unity we need deliver for the people.
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this is really the key. these are the people we were elected to see. (seapplau over the last year, the world has seen "we go higher" each always known -- tha no people on earth is r so fearless, daring and detetiined as m. if there is a mountain, we climb it. if there is a frontier, we cross it. there is a challenge, we tame ie t. if ths an opportunity, we seize it. so let's begin tonight by recognizing that the state of our union is strong.
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because our people are strong. (applause) ( cheers and applause ) ( applause ) and together we are building a safe, strong, and proud america. since the election we have created 2.4 million new jobs,çó including... including 200,000 new jobs in manufacturing alone. tremendous numbers. ( applause ) after years and years of wage stagnation, we are finally seeing rising wages.ee
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(ng and applause) unemployment claims have hit a -year low. (s plause) thamething i'm very proud of. african american unemployment stands at the lowest rate ever recorded. niheering and applause) and his american unemployment has also reached the lowest levels in history. cheers and applause )
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( applause ) small business confidence is at an al naim -- is at an al all-he igh. the stock market has gained $8 trillion in value in just thi short period of time. the great news for americans, 401(k), retirement, pension, and college savings accounts have gone through the roof, and just ahei promised, american people from thipodium 11 months ago, we enacted the biggest tax cuts and refms in american history. (cheering and ( cheers and applause ) ( cheers and applause )
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our massive tax cuts provide tremendous relief for the middl class and small busess. lower tax rates for hard-working americans, we nearly doubled the standard deduction for everyone. ow the first $24,000 earned by married couple is completely tax-fre ( applause ) we also doubled the child taxit cr ( applause )
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a typical family of four making $75,000 will see their tax bill r,educed by $2,0 slashing their tax bill in half. ( cheers and applause ) in april this will the last time you will ever file under the old and very broken system, and millions of americans will have more take-home pay starting next month, a lot more. ( cheers and applause ) ( applause ) we eliminated an especially cruel tax that fell mostly on
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americans making less than $50,000 a year, forcing them to pay tremendous penalties simply because they couldn't afford government-ordered healthcare. we repealed the core of the disastrous obamacare, the individual mandate is now gone. thank heavens. ( cheers and applause ) ( applause ) ( applause ) we slashed the business tax rate from 35% all the way down to 21% so american companies can compete and win against anyone lse anywhere in the world.
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( applause ) these changes alone are estimated to increase average family income by more than $4 ,000. that's a lot of money. ( cheers and applause ) small businesses have also received a massive tax cut and can now deduct 20% of their business income. here tonight are steve stout and sandy keplinger of stout manufacturing, a sma, beautiful business in ohio. they've just finished the best year in their 20-year history. ( applause )
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because of tax reform they are handing out raises, hiring an additional 14 people, and expanding intohe building next door. good feeling. ( applause ) of staub's employees,orey adams, is also with us tonight. corey is an all-american worker. htee supp himself through high school, lost his job during he 2008 recession, and was later hired by staub,e where h trained to become a welder. like many hard-working mericans, corey plans to invest his tax-cut raise into his new home and his two daughters' education. corey, please std.
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( applause ) ( applause ) a and he great welder. i was told that by the man that owns that company that's doing so well, so congratulations, corey. since we passed tax cuts, roughly three million workers have already gotax-cut bonuses, many of them thousands and thousands of dollars per worker. it's getting more every mth, every week. an pal has just announced it plans to invest a tal of $350 billion in america and hire another 20,000 workers. ( cheers and applause )
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applause ) and just a little while ago xxon-mobil announced a $50 billion investment in the united states, just a little while ago. ( applause ) this, in fact, is ourew american moment. there has never been a better time to start living the american dream. so to every citizen watching at home tonight, no matter whereee you'veor where you've come f yrom, this r time. uf you work hard, if you believe in yourself, if believe in america, then you can dream anythg, you can be anythin and together we can achieve absolutely anything.
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( cheers and applause ) ( applause ) tonight i want to talk about what kind of future we're going to have and what kind of a nation we're going to be. all of us together as t onem, one people, and onemecan family can do anything. we all share the same home, the same heart, the same destiny, and the same great american flag. ( chee and applause )
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( applause )th to we are rediscovering the american way. in america we know that faith and family, notovernment and bureaucracy, are the center ofa merican life. the motto is: in god we trust. ( cheers and applause ) ( applause ) and we celebrate our polie, our military, and our amazing veterans as heroes w deserve our total and unwavering
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support. ( applause ) here tonight is preston sharp, a 12-year-old boy from redding, california, who noticed that veterans' graves were not marked with flags on veterans d. he decided all by himself to change that and started a movement. at has now placed 40,000 flags at the graves of our great heroes. preston, a job well done. ( cheers and applause ) ( applause )
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( applause ) young patriots like peston teach all o us about our civic duty as americans, an i met preston a little while ago, and he is something very ecial, that i can tell you. reat futur thank you very much for all you've done, preston. thank you very much. ( applause ) preston's reverence for those who have served our nation reminds us of why we salute our flag, why we put our hands on our heartshe forledge of allegiance, and why we proudly standor the national anthem. ( cheers and applause )
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( applause ) ( applse )ri ans love their country, and they deserve a government that shows them thee samve and loyalty in return. for the last year, we have sought to restore the bonds of trust between our citizens and their government. working with the senate, we are appointing judges whoill interpret the constitution as ritten, including a great new supreme court justice and more circuit court judges than any newdministration in the history of our country. (la cheers and ae )
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we are totally defending our second amendment and have taken historic actions t protect religious liberty. () applause ( applause ) serving our brave veterans, including giving our c veteraice in their healthcare decisions. ( applause ) ( applause )
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last year congress also passed and i signed the landmark v.a. accountability act. applause ) ssaince its p, my administration has already removed more than 1,500 v.a. employees who failed to give our veterans the care they deserve, and we are hiring talented people who love our vets as much as we do. ( applause ) ( applause and i will not stop until our veterans are properly taken care of, which has been myromise to
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them from the very beginning of this great journey. ( applause ) all americans deserve accountabilitesandct, and that's what we're giving to our wonderful heroes, our veterans. thank you. ( applause ) so tonight i call on congress to empower every cabinet secretary with the authorityto reward good workers and too remove f eederloyees who undermine the public trust or fail the american people. ( applause ) ( applause )
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in our drive to make washington accountable, we hde eliminate more regulations in our first year than any administration in the history of our country. ( cheers and applause ) ( applause ) we have ended the war on american energy, and have nded the war on beautiful, clean coal. ( applause ) we are now very proudly an
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exporter of energy to t world. (au ap ) idetroit i halted government mandates that crippled america's great, beautiful autoworkers so that we can get mor city rev revving its engines again, and that's what's happeni. ( applause ) many car companies are now building and explaidints pl in the united states, something we have not seen forecades. chrysler is moving a major plant from mexico to mhigan. toyota and mazda are opening up ala in alabama, a big one,
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and we haven't seen this in a long tico. it's all ng back. cheers and applause ) ( applause ) very soon auto plants and other plants will be opening up all over our country. this is all news ame acans totally unaccustomed to hearing. for many years companies andjo were only leaving us, but now they are roaring back. they're coming back. they want to be whe action is. they want to be in the united states of america. that's where they want to be. ( cheers and appuse )
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( applause exciting progress is happening every single day. to speed access, to breakthrough cures and afrurdable, last year the f.d.a. approved more new and generic drugs and medical devices than ever before in our country's history. ( applause ) we also believe that patients with terminal conditions, terminal illness, should hav access to experimental treatment immediately that could
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potentially save their lives. people who are terminally ill should not have to go from country to country to seek a cure. i want to give them a chance right he at home. it's time for congress to give these wonderful, incredible americans the right to try. ( cheers and applause ) ( applause ) one of my greatest priorities is to reduce the priceof prescription drugs. ( applause )
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in many other countries these drugs cost far less than what we pay in the united states, an it's very, very unfair. that is why i have directed my administration to make fixing the injustice ofru high prices one of my top priorities for the year. trading
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relationships to be fair and very importantly reciprocal. we will work to fix bad trade diaeals and neg new ones, and they will be good one, buthe twill be fair, and we will protect american workers and american intellectual property through strong enforcement ofo ur trade rules.
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( applse ) as we rebuild our industries, it is also time to rebuildur crumbling infrastructure. ( applause ) america nation of builders. we built the empire state building in just one year. isn't a disgrace that it can now take ten years just to get a minor permit approved for the building of a simple road? ( applause ) fast,
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reliable, and modern infrastructur our economy needs and our people deserve. ( applause ) tonight i'm calling ogress to produce a bill that generates t least $1.5 trillion for the new infrastructe investment that our country so desperately needs. e federal partnering with state and local governments and, where appropriate, tapping io private sector investment to permanently fix t infrastructure deficit. and we can do it. ( applause )
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anyill must also streamline the permitting and approval process, getting it down to no more than two years and perhaps even one. together we can reclaim our great building heritage. we will build gleaming new roads, brid, highway, railways, and waterways all adcross our land, e will do it with american hrt, american hands, and american grit. ( applause ) we want every american to knowit
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the di of a hard day's work. we want every child to be safe in their home at night. and we want every citizen to bel love so much. we can our citizens from welfare to work, poverty to prosperity.çó ( applause ) as tax cuts create new jobs, let's invest in workforce development and let's invest ini job training, we need so badly. ( plause )
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let's open great vocational schools sf ouruture workers can learn a craft and realize their full potential. ( applause ) and let's support working families by supporting paid family leave. ( applause ) as america regains its strength, opportunity must be extended to all citizens. that is why this ar we will embark on reforming our prisons to help former inmates who haves erved their time get second chance at life. ( applause )
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struggling communities, especially immigrant community, will also be helped by immigration policies that focus on the best ierests of american workers and american filies. for decades open borders have allowed drugs andangs to pour into our most vulnerable communities. they have allowed millions of lowage workers to compete for jobs and wages against the poorest americans. most tragically, they have caused the loss of manyoc it lives. here tonight are two fathers and two mothers, evelyn fdriguez, reddy cuevas, elizabeth alvarado, and robert mickens. their two teenage daughters, kayla cuevas and neesa mickens,
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were close friends on long island, but in september 2016, on the eve ofeesa's 16th birthday, such a happy time it should have been, neither of them came home. these two precious girls were brutally murdered whileki w together in their hometown. six members of the savage ms-13 ganhave been charged with kayla and neesa'surders. many of these gang members took advantage of glaring loopholes in ote laws to the country as illegal, unaccompanied alien minors and wound upn kayla andee 's high school. evelyn, liz best, freddy and
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robert, tonightone in this chamber is praying for you. everyone in america is grieving for you. please stand. thank you very muc ( applause ) ( applause ) ( applause ) i want you to t knowt 320
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million hearts are right now breaking for you. we love you. thank you. ( applause ) we cannot imagi the depths of that kind of sorrow, but we cana sure that other families never have to endure this kind of pain. tonight i am calling on congress to filly close the deadly loopholes that have allowed ms-13 and other criminal gangs to break into our country. we have proposed new legislatio that will f our immigration laws and support our ice and border patrol agents. these are great people. thesere great, great people that work so hard in the mst of such danger so that this c never happen again.
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( applause ) the united states is a compassiote nation. ware proud that we do more than ryany other cou anywhere in the world to help the needy, the struggling, and the underprivileged all over the world. but as president of the united states, my highest loyalty, my gesrecompassion, my constant concern is for america's children, america's struggling workers, and americ fsgotten communities. i want our youth toro up to achieve great things. i want our poor to have tir chance to rise. so tonight i am extending an open hand to work with members
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of both parties, democratsnd republicans, to protect our tizens of every background, color, religion, and creed. ( applause ) my duty and the sacred duty of every electedfficial in this chamber is to defend americans, to protect their safety, their families, theirni comes, and their right to the american dream, because americans are dreamers, too. ( applause ) ( applause )
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here tonight is one leader in the effort to defend our curountry, homeland sy investigations special agent celestino martinez. he goes by d.j.nd c.j. he said call me either one. so we'll call you c.j. sir, 15 years in the air force before becoming an ice agent and spending the last 15 years fighting gangnd violence getting dangerous criminals off of our streets. t job. at one point ms-13 leaders ordered c.j.'s murder, and they wanted it to happenck q, but he did not cave to threats or to fear. last may he commanded an operation to track down gang monembers onisland. his team has arrested nearly
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40 including more tha 220ms-13 gang members. i have to tell you, what the border patrol and ice have done, we have sent thousands and thousands and thousands of ms-13 horrible people t of this country or into our prisons. so i just want to congratulate you, c.j. you're a brave nkguy. tou very much. ( applause ) ( applause ) and i asked c.j., what's the secret? he said, "we're just tougher than they are," and i like that answer.
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now let's get congress to send you and awethe people in this great chamber have too it, we have no choice, c.j., we're going to send you reinforcements, and we're going to send them to you quickly. that's what you need. ( applause ) over the next few weeks the house and senate will be voting on an immigration reform package. in rece months my administration has met extensively with both democrats and republicans to craft a n ipartiproach to immigration reform. based on these discussions, we presented congress with a detailed proposal that should be supported by both parties as a fair compromise, e where nobody gets everything they want but where ouroury gets the
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critical reforms it needs and must have. ( applause ) here are the four pillars of our plan: the first pillar of our framework generallys -- generously offers a path to citizenship for 1.8 million illegal immigrants who were brought re by theirarents at a young age. thatt covers alm three times more people than the previous administration covered. under our plan those who meet education and work requirements and show good moral character will be able to become full
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citizens of the united states ver a 12-year period. the second pillar fully surities the border. ( applause ) means building a great wall on the southern border and it means hiring more heroes like c.j. to keep o communities safe. ( applause ) crucially our plan closes the
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terrible loopholes exploited by terrorists and criminals to enter our country, and it finally ands the horrible dangerous practice of catch and release. ( applause ) the visa lottery, a program that randomly hands out green cards without any regard for skill, merit, or the safety of american people. ( applause ) it's time to begin moving towd a merit-based immigration system, one that admits people who are skillho want to work, who will contribute to our society, and who will love and
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respect our country. ( applause ) the fourth and final pillar protects the nuclear famiby ending chain migration. ( applause ) >> underhe current broken system, a single immigrant can bllring in virt unlimited numbers of divestant rela. under our plan, we focus on the immediate family by limiting sponsorships to spouses and minordr ch. ( applause )
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>> this vital reform is necessary, not just for our economy, but for our security and for t future of america. in recent weeks,wo terrorist attacks in new york were made possible by the visa lottery and cha migration. in the age of terrorism, these programs present risks. we can just no longer afford. it's time to reform-- ( applause ) n- these outdated immigratio rules, and finally bring our immigration system into the 21st century. se ( appl these four pillars represent a
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down-the-middle compromiate, and one ill create a safe, modern, and lawful immigration system. for over 30 years, washington has tried and failedo solve this problem. this congress can be the one that finally makes itappen. most importantly, these four plars will produce legislation that fulfills my ironclad pledge to sign a bill that puts america first. ( applause ) >> so let's come together, set politics aside, and fally get the job done. ( plause )
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>> these reforms will alsos upport our response to the terrible crisis of opioid and dg diction. never before has it been like it is now. it iserrible. we have to do something about it. in 2016, we lost 64,000 americans to drug overdoses, 174 dn eaths per day, seper hour. we must get much tougher on drug dealers and pushers if we are going to succeed in stopping this scourge. ( applause )
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>> my administration is committed to fighting the drug epidemic and helping get treatment for those in need, for those who have been so terribly hurt. the struggle will b long, and it will be difficult, but as americans always do, in the end, we will succeed. we will prevail. ( applause ) as we have seen tonight, the mngost difficult chal bring out the best in america. we see a vivid expression of this truth in the story of the holets family of newic m ryan holets is 27 years old, an officer with the albuquerque
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police department. he's here tonight wit his wife, rebecca. ( applause ) ( applause ) >> ank you, ryan. last year, ryan was on duty when he w a pregnant homeless woman preparing to inject heroin.ol when ryan her she was going to harm her unborn child, she began to weep. she twd him she didn't kno where to turn, but badly wanted a safe home b for hy. nd that moment, ryan said he felt god speak to him "you will do if because you can."
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he heard those words. he took out a picture of his wife and four kids. then hwent home to tell his wife, rebecca, in annstant, she agreed to adopt. the holets named their new daughter hope. ryan and rebecca, you embody thu goodness nation. thank you. ( applause ) ( applause ) >> thank you, ryan and rebecca.
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as we rebuild america's strength and confidence at home, we are also restoring our strength and s around the world, we face rogue regimes, terrorist groups, and rivals like china and russia that challenge our interests, our economy, and our values. in confronting these horrible dangers, we know that weakness is the surest path to conflict, and unmatched power is the s turest means our true and gre defense. for this reason, i am asking congress to end the dangerous defense sequester and fully fund our great military. ( applause ).
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>> as part of our defense, we must modernize and rebuild our nuclear arsenal, hopefully never having to use it, kibut it so strong and so powerful that it deter any acts of aggression by any other nation or anyone else. ( applause ) perhaps some day in the future, there wi be a magical moment when the countries of the world will get together to eliminate their nuclear weapons.
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unfortunately, we are not there yet. yet, sadly. last year, also pledged that we would work with our allies to extinguish isis from the face of the earth. one year later, i am proud to report that the coalition to defeat isis has libered very close to 100% of the territory just recently held by these killers in iraq and in syria and in other locations as well. ( applause )
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but there is much more work to be done. we will continue our fight until isis is defeated. army staff sergeant justin peck is here tonight. near raqqa last november, justin and his comrade, chief petty officer kenton stacy, were on a mission to clear buildings that isis had rigged withxplosive so that civilians could returt o that city, hopefully soon, and hopefully fely. clearing the second floor of a vital hospitac, kenton was severely wounded by an losion explosion. immediately, justin bounded into the booby-trapped and unbelievably dangerous and unsafe building and found kenton, but in very, b very
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shape. he applied pressure to t wound and inserted a tubepe to r an airway. he then performed cpr for 20 straight minutes during the ground transport and maintained artificial respiration through 2.5 hours, and through emergency surgery. kentostacy would have died if it were not for justin's self-less love forow his fe warrior. tonight, kenton is recovering in texas. raqqa i liberated. and justin is wearing his new oronze star with a "v" for val staff sergeant peck, all of america salutes you.
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( applause ) ( applause ) terrorists who do things like place bombs in civilian hospitals ar evil. when possible, we have no choice but to annihilate them.
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when necessary, we must be able to detain and question them. but we must belear: terrorists are not merely criminals. theyare unlawful enemy combatants. ( applause ) and when captured overseas, they should be treated like the terrorists they are. in the past, we have foolishly released hundreds and hundreds of dangerous terrorists, only to meet them again on the battlefield, including the isis leader, al-baghdadi, who we
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captured, who we had, who we released. so today, i'm keeping another promise. i just signed, prior to walking in, an order directing secretary mattis, who is doing a great job, thank you. ( applause ) to ree our military detention policy and to keep open the detention facilities in guantanamo bay. ( applause ) i am asking congress to ensure
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that in the fight against isis and al qaeda we continue to have all necessary power to detain terrorists wherever we chase them down, wherever we find th and in many cases, for them it will now be guantanamo bay. ( applause ) at the same time, as of few months ago, our warriors in afghanistan have new rules of engagement. ( applause ) along with their heroic afghan partners, our military is no longer undermind by artificialli tis, and we no longer tell our enemies our plans. ( applause )
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last month, ilso took an action endorsed unanimously by the u.s. senate just months before. i recognized jerusalem as the capital of israel. ( applause ) shortly afterwards, dozens of countries voted in the united rtions general assembly against america's sovereiht to make this decision. in016, american taxpayers generously sent thosesame countries more than $20 billion
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in aid. that is why tonight, i am asking congress to pass legislatioto help ensure american foreign assistance dolrs always serve american interests, and only go to friends of america, not enemies of america. ( applause ) as we strengthen friendships all around the world, we are also estoring clarity about our adversaries. wh the people of iran rose up against the crimes of their corrupt dictatorship, i did not stay silent. america stands with the people
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of iran in theirge cous struggle for freedom. ( applause ) i am asking congress to address the fundamental flaws in the terrible iran nuclear deal. my administration has also imposed tough sanctions on the communist and sociast dictatorships in cuba and venezuela. ( applause ) but no regime has oppressed its own citizens more totally or b crutally than tel d kictatorship in norea.
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north korea's reckless pursuit oilf nuclear mi could very soon threaten our homand. we are waging a campaign of maximum pressure to prevent that from ever happeng. pt experience has taught us that complacency and concessions only invite aggression and provocation. i will nea r the mistakes of past administrations that got s into this very dangerous position. we need only look at the detraifed character, depraved character of the north korean regime to understand the nature of the nuclear threat itould pose to america and to our allies oto warmere was a hardworking student at the university of
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virginia and a great student he was. ohis way to study abroad in sia, oto joined a tour to north korea. at its conclusion, this wonderful young man was arrested and charged with crimes against the state. after a shameful trial, the dceictatorship sent otto to 15 years of har lab before teturning him to america l june horribly injured and on the verge of death. e passed away just days after his return. otto's wonderful parents, fred and cindy warmbier, are here tonight along with otto's
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brother and sister, austin andg ta. please. ( applause ) incredible people. you are powerful witnesses to a matenace hreatens our world, ask your strength truly inspires us all. thank you very much. thank you. ( applause )
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tonight we pledge to honor otto's memory with total american resolve. thankou finally-- ( applause ) we are joined by one more witness to the onous nature of this regime. his name is mr. ji seong-ho. in 1996, he was a starving boyh in norea. one day he tried to steal coal from a railroadcar to barte for a few scraps of food, whiveh
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wer hard to get. in the process, he passed out on the train tracks, exhausted from hunger. he woke up as a train ran over his limbs. he thened end multiple amputations without anything to dull the pain or the hurt. h sis brother andter gave what little food they had to help him recover, and ate dirt themselves, permanently stunting their own growth. later, he was tortured by north korean authorities after returning from a bef visit t china. his tormenters wantedo know if he'd met any christians. he had, and he resolved after that to be free. shoeionraveled thousands of
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miles on crutches all across cna and southeast asia to freedom. most of his family followed. his father was caught trying to escape and was tortured to death. today, he lives in seoul, where he rescues other deftors a broadcasts into north korea what the regime fears most: thet ruth. today, he has a new leg b, seiong-ho, i understand you epstill hose old crutches as a remindeof how farou've come. your great sacrifice is an inspiration to us all. pleas thank you. ( applause ) ( cheers )
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seoing-ho's story is the testament to every human soul to reive inom. it was that same yearning for freedom that nearly 250 years ago gave birth a to special place called it was a small cluster of colonies caught between a great ocean and a vastilrness. it was home to an incredible people with a revolutionary id
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ia, that they could rule themselves. that they could chart their own destiny, and that together, they could lightp the entire world. th is what our country has always been about. that is what americans have always stood for, always strived for, and always done. atop the dome of this capitol stands the statue ofom fre. ifiedtands tall and dign among the monuments to our ancestors who fought and lived and died to protect h. monuments to washington and jefferson and lincoln and king, memorials to the heroes n,of yorktnd saratoga.
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to young americans who shed their blood on the shores of rmandy and the fields beyond, and others who went down in the waters of the pacific d the skies all over asia and freedom stands tall over one more monument--his one. this capitol.li thing monument. this is the monument to the american people. ( applause ) >> u.s.a.! u.s.a.! u.s.a.!
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>> we're a people whose heroes live not only newscas! b pas all around us, defending hope, pride, and defending the american y.wa they work in every trade. they saifice toaise a family. they care for our children at home. they defend our flag abroad. and they are strong moms and brave kids. they are firefighters and police officers and border agents, medics and marines. but above all else, they areca ame, and this capitol, this city, this natio belongs aptirely to them. ause )
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our task is to respect them, to listen to them, to serve them, to protect them, and to always be worthy ofm t. americans fill the world with art and music. they push the bounds ofcice and discovery, and they forever rd us of what we should neverever forget. the people dreamed this country. the people built this cntry, and it's the people who are making amica greatgain. ( applause )
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as long as we are proud of who we are and what we are fighting for, there is nothing we cannot achieve as long as we have confidence in ouralues, faith in our citizens, and trust in our god, we will never fail. our families will thrive. our people will prosper. and our nation will forever bes fe and strong and proud and mighty and free. thank you, and god bless america. good night. ( cheers and applause )
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>> woodruff: president trp concludes his state of the union address. he went an hour and 20 minutes. if state of the union addresses are normally a laundry list of p oolicy proposals, th certainly outlined what the president sees as his economic successes in his one year in office, and i was a call reach across the aisle seeking democratic support for his immigration proposal to come up with an infrastructure relief plan. plu as much as anything -- but as much as anything, mark shields, i think in the last half hour a celebration of american survival andrage with, i think, one guest after another in the audience. a north korean defector, the police afficer whopted the baby of a couple addicted of heroin, the parents of two teenage girls murdered by gang members. there were some emotional
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moments during this hour a 20 minutes. >> very emotional moments, and sevel of them were really quite special, especially the police officer and his wife witl four en who adopted the unborn child of the heroin addict, which is really rather remars ble. but it different donald trump, certainly, from the inaugural. there was nohe carnage, was no dark and bleak, it was quite upbeat. what struck me is the wd.illingness to appl i notice speaker ryan did not stand up and applaud when the president endorsed paid family leave, and that was the one exception. but, i mean, the infrastructure, those were big, ite and the call for unity, judy, while appealing, we'll see how long lasting it is. it has a rather limited shelf life when the president calls
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people on the other side, personally insulted 83 democratic elected members name in his tweets, and we'll see if that has been ig- t, it was a bigger donald trump than sort of a reaching across the aisle, you're right. >> woodruff: but i was going to say, david, there were many redemocrats thaot standing when the president was speaking. >> it's weird, now seem to write speeches designed to get the opposition not to stand andake them look bad. i disagree on the tone of the speech. struck by the amazing number of people he got excit in the balcony. i've never seen so many cited. when he put the tap industry of the stories together, you get ar ty grim view. he starts with uplift about the economic numbers, but most of the stories about people g